


It’s Not Unusual

by elem (elem44)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 21:58:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13040265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elem44/pseuds/elem
Summary: Post Endgame. It’s Kathryn’s first birthday celebration since being back in the Alpha Quadrant. She’s been working too hard and it has to stop. (Thanks to Tom Jones for the title.)





	It’s Not Unusual

Kathryn trotted down the stairs from her bedroom and was making her way towards the kitchen when at almost the same instant, the doorbell chimed and, the comm unit pinged. Kathryn jagged to a halt, taking a second or two to decide where to go first. The door chimed again and Lucy started barking excitedly and scratching at the floor. That made up her mind for her and, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around herself, she rushed towards the front door.

“Shhhh, Lucy. Enough.” She grabbed hold of the pup’s collar as she pulled open the door, then looking up at her visitor, her face broke into a warm smile. “Chakotay! What are you doing here?”

He absentmindedly patted the golden Labrador’s head as it jumped up on him, and grinning broadly he handed Kathryn a bunch of flowers. “Happy Birthday, Kathryn.”

She buried her face in the large bunch of roses and lilies, taking a deep breath of the heady scent and then stepped back to let him in. “Awww, thank you. They’re beautiful.”

Chakotay walked past her into the foyer with the dog still dancing and leaping around his legs.

“Lucy, get down.” Kathryn scolded but Lucy wasn’t listening.

Chakotay, looked down at the dog and in a stern voice, pointed his clenched fist at the dog. “Lucy, sit.” The dog plonked her bottom of the floor and looked up at Chakotay with wide trusting eyes, her tongue lolling from the side of her mouth and her tail swishing back and forth on the tiled floor.

Kathryn rolled her eyes. “Typical. You and blondes.”

Chakotay laughed, but had the good grace to blush a little. “Yes, well, pity it doesn’t work with red heads.”

Kathryn gave him a sideways glance. “Hmmm, I don’t remember you ever trying.”

He swallowed, and opened his mouth to say something… he wasn’t sure what, but he didn’t get the opportunity. She was already gone.

Sailing through the door into the kitchen, she tossed over her shoulder as she went, “I’d best get these into some water before they wilt.” Chakotay blinked slowly and tugged his ear. Why did he get the feeling that she wasn’t talking about the flowers.

Looking down at the Lucy, who was still staring at him with her big brown adoring eyes, he shook his head. “Wish me luck, Lucy.” The dog gave a yap and if Chakotay hadn’t known better, he could have sworn that she knew what he was saying. He rolled his eyes. He was talking to a dog and if that wasn’t bad enough, he was imagining that she was answering. Now, _that_ was a little concerning.

He was getting beyond desperate.

“Chakotay, where are you? Did you want a cup of coffee?” He walked into the sunny kitchen as the comm chimed again and Kathryn dropped the kettle on the sink. “Oh, damn! I forgot the call. Can you put the kettle on? I’ve got to answer that.”

Smiling to himself, he filled the kettle while Kathryn tore into the living room to answer her call. He could hear her talking, but couldn’t distinguish the words, so he sauntered over to the door way and keeping out of sight listened carefully. He already knew who the call was from.

“…but Owen, those reports are due this afternoon, I don’t think that Admiral Vis’n’eth will be particularly impressed with the excuse that it’s my birthday, and that I am to ‘indulge myself.’”

_“Do I have to make this an order, Kathryn? Let me worry about Vis’n’eth, besides this ‘suggestion’ has come from on high. The President has ordered that you have the day off for your birthday. It will be the first one in seven years. I think you’ve earned it.”_

Chakotay heard her sigh. She sounded resigned but not terribly pleased about being manipulated. She complied grudgingly. “Oh, all right, but I’m not happy about this. What am I supposed to do?”

Chakotay could just imagine the look on Owen Paris’s face. What a question. He smiled as he heard the exasperation in Owen’s voice. _“Kathryn Janeway, I’m not even going to answer that question. The fact you have to ask it in the first place just supports my argument that you need to take more time off. Now has Chakotay arrived yet?”_

The man in question stepped well back from the doorway, he could feel her glare through the brick wall. Now she knew for sure that she’d been set up. Thanks Owen. “Yes, he’s here, and I suppose he has the day off as well?”

Paris cleared his throat. _“Yes, he’s the founding member of the ‘Get Kathryn to Relax Brigade.’ The membership is growing, I might add.”_

His skin was almost blistering from the waves of steaming anger that were rolling off her and wondered very seriously about beating a hasty retreat, but then he remembered his mission directive. ‘Get Kathryn to loosen up and laugh.’ A tall order in any quadrant, but since they’d been back in the Alpha Quadrant, she’d slipped even further into officious mode. The promotion to Admiral hadn’t helped and the fact that she’d had only a few days off between the end of debriefings and taking up her new position, hadn’t helped. It had been against advice from all quarters, he added to himself, but being Kathryn Janeway, she wouldn’t be deterred.

He thought he had a handle on the reasons why she hadn’t wanted to be idle for too long. He understood her a lot better than she realised, but getting her to admit to the fact that sitting around with hours on end to think about her life, past, present and future, was going to be a challenge. Boy, was it going to be a challenge.

Owen Paris had called a ‘senior staff’ meeting two days ago. They were all worried about her. With Gretchen and Phoebe in on the conspiracy as well, they’d all sat around at Tom and B’Elanna’s and nutted out a plan of action in regard to their wayward and, extraordinarily stubborn, former Captain, daughter and friend.

It was decided that Chakotay was to be the first prong of attack. He would infiltrate and then the rest of the command crew would flank her and by the time she’d worked out what was happening, she would be relaxed and enjoying herself so much that she wouldn’t care. Breaching the walls of fortress Kathryn was their mission objective.

Tentative plans had been made. An early first barrage was decided upon, with her former first officer and friend, armed with a bouquet. He’d fulfilled that part of the attack and now came some tricky manoeuvring. He took a deep breath as he heard her saying her goodbyes to Owen. He poured the boiling water into the coffee pot and turned with a smile as she came back into the room.

“More birthday wishes.”

“Oh, nice try, but you’re completely transparent. That was Owen – as if you didn’t know – and he told me what you’re trying to do, founding member of the ‘Kathryn’s got to have fun club’. I’m surprised at you, Chakotay. You know how much I hate doing things that I’m forced into.”

She was standing there with her hands on her hips and the sunlit windows behind her. Talk about transparent. He wondered if she had any idea how magnificent she looked. He could feel the beads of perspiration prickle on his forehead. Her body was perfectly silhouetted, with the light making her hair shine like a halo of gold. He shook his head and turned back to the coffee. Damn, man, get your mind back on your objective… his mind took him blissfully down another road with another objective thrown into his path. Kathryn naked and writhing underneath him seemed like a pretty fair compromise.

“Chakotay!”

He swung around. “Huh?”

“I knew you weren’t listening.”

“Sorry, Kathryn. What did you want to know?”

She huffed out a breath. “Seeing as I don’t have any option but to do this, what have you got planned?”

He handed her a cup of coffee and indicated that they should perhaps go and sit down in the living room while they talked. It also gave him a moment or two to organise his thoughts.

Once they were sitting on the sofa, he turned to her. There was that wrinkle between her eyebrows and her mouth was set in a thin line… she was not happy. He took a bolstering sip of his coffee and then set his cup down on the table. She raised her brow in question and he gave her a wry smile. “Well, it’s up to you, really, what we do. Did you have any ideas?”

“Finishing my reports for Admiral Vis’n’eth comes to mind.” She noted his exasperated look and her shoulders slumped. “Yes, I know. That one is vetoed. I really don’t know. Any time I’ve had off recently I’ve spent with my mother or sister. Did you have any thoughts?”

“We’ve got an entire planet to explore. Did you want to go somewhere cold or hot?”

Kathryn thought for a moment. “Warm.”

“Okay. Day or night?”

“How about afternoon?”

Chakotay nodded. “Uh huh. Now we’re getting somewhere. Beaches or mountains.”

“Beaches.”

Chakotay’s eyes narrowed for a minute as he thought, then he looked at her. “Okay, go get packed. You’ll need clothes for warm weather, a swimming costume and a hat.”

She almost choked on her coffee at his order. “I beg your pardon?”

He wasn’t going to be intimidated… much. So he stood up, hoping that his height would make him feel bolder. It did for a split second until she stood as well and took a half a step closer. That perspiration started to bead again. Damn. He took a deep breath and spoke before he convinced himself to do otherwise. “I said, go and get packed.” His eyes flicked over to the clock above the mantle. “You’ve got half an hour. Quick, off you go. I’ll get things organised from here.”

“Are you at least going to tell me where we’re going?”

He shook his head. “No. It’ll be a surprise.”

She gritted her teeth. “Chakotay, I like surprises almost as much as I like being manoeuvred and manipulated. Be careful….” She took a step closer and he could feel her hot breath as it wafted against his neck. He suppressed a shiver. “Be very careful.”

He’d forgotten how blue her eyes were and he blinked then nodded. He didn’t need to be reminded to be careful. Careful about a lot of things. His hands itched to hold her. He clenched them into tight fists. “Oh, don’t worry Kathryn. I’m well aware of the pitfalls. This will be great though. I promise you a wonderful day.”

Her eyes narrowed, before she swung around and swept out of the room. Chakotay heaved a sigh of relief and then leapt onto the comm terminal to organise the next twenty four hours. There was the sound of a slamming door and he grimaced as he looked at the doorway through which Kathryn had just passed. The pressure was now on.

First of all he checked the time differences to make sure that they would be in the right places at the right times. If he was clever they could have a whole day of afternoons and evenings by beaming to different locations. Owen was going to contact the rest of the conspirators so they could join them later in the day. He had a feeling that Kathryn would need some diverting as the day wore on.

Chakotay contacted Tom and had his hand luggage beamed over and then after checking that everything was in readiness, he took a seat and waited for Kathryn.

Kathryn had stomped up the stairs to her bedroom and after slamming the door, slumped against it and suppressed a laugh. Shaking her head she marvelled at her crew and family. She wasn’t a fool, she knew what had been happening to her and this was just what she needed to lever her out of this terrible rut that she’d found herself in. Bless the whole meddling lot of them. Pushing herself away from the door, she moved into her bathroom and showered quickly. With a towel wrapped around her and a broad grin on her face, she grabbed an overnight bag and tossed in her bathers, a couple of changes of underwear, a dress for evening, some spare clothes, shoes, make up and toiletries. Running a comb through her hair and slipping on a light linen dress over her best underwear, she dabbed on a bit of light make up, a couple of squirts of perfume and smiled at her reflection. This was going to be a great day. A whole twenty four hours with Chakotay. Who could ask for a better birthday present? She certainly couldn’t and maybe if she played her cards right, she might even get her birthday wish.

She leaned forward and studied her reflection. There were a few lines and wrinkles, but no more than you’d expect from someone in their mid forties. Her eyes were clear and bright, and she didn’t look too bad really. With a shrug, she grabbed her bag off the bed and furrowing her brow again, she stomped down the stairs to a patiently waiting Chakotay.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. We may as well get this over with.”

She watched as Chakotay heaved himself out of the comfortable winged back chair that had once been her father’s favourite. Kathryn thought to herself that he rather suited it and she wouldn’t mind seeing him there more often.

Chakotay smiled and after taking her bag from her shoulder, offered her his arm and they headed out the door to the nearby transporter station.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going, Chakotay?”

“How about we leave that as a surprise? I know you’re not overly fond of surprises, but I think you’ll like this one.”

She gave him a wary look and nodded as she climbed up on the transporter platform. Chakotay whispered the co ordinates to the transport operator and stepped up beside her. She muttered under her breath. “If anything jumps out at me, you’re dead…”

He turned to her with his mouth open to speak, but they dematerialised before he could utter a word.

Kathryn shaded her eyes and blinked as they materialised on a beach of glistening white sand. She looked around her and marvelled at the beauty of the spot that Chakotay had chosen. She wasn’t sure where she was but it was exquisite and just what she’d wanted. The water was crystal clear and deep blue. There were cliffs of sandstone all around the small cove. It looked like the only access would be either by boat or by transporter. She shook her head and turned to her companion fighting a smile.

“Where are we? Can you tell me now?”

“Mato Beach in Southern Portugal.” He watched her face as she looked around the spectacular cove. He could see her eyes crinkle at the corners slightly and her lips twitched. His shoulders relaxed and he turned towards the stack of towels and cooler full of food. “Here we are, Kathryn. Our supplies are here.”

He turned away and let her look around and absorb the quiet and solitude. Pulling the shade tent from the pile of supplies he unpacked it and let it pop open. He placed their towels side by side on the pristine sand under the canopy, and opened the cooler, pulling out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Kathryn was now down by the water, with her shoes in her hand and ankle deep in the warm water of the southern Atlantic. He popped the cork and she swung around at the sound, making her way slowly back to their ‘camp’.

“Well, I see you came prepared. I suppose Tom Paris had nothing to do with this.”

Chakotay grinned. “Tom Paris had a lot to do with this and I’m most grateful. He’s the expert on having a good time.” He handed her a small glass of champagne and put the bottle back into the cooler. She sat down on the other towel and he held his glass up and toasted. “Happy Birthday, Kathryn.” Their glasses touched with a quiet clink and they sipped.

Chakotay looked out over the calm water and breathed deeply. He could feel Kathryn’s eyes on him, but pretended not to notice.

Kathryn was studying his profile. He was still a handsome man. Very handsome and if the some of the media was to be believed, he was considered one of the most handsome men in the quadrant. B’Elanna had showed her a magazine that had rated him as number twenty seven out of a hundred of the most desirable bachelors in the Federation. Not bad really for a man on the wrong side of fifty, but like most men, he was just getting better looking as he got older. Her eyes darted away as he turned back towards her. She took another sip of her champagne and then had a thought. “Is there anything to eat in amongst this treasure trove? If I drink champagne this early in my day, without food, I’m going to be unconscious in half an hour.”

Chuckling, Chakotay opened the lid of the cooler again and pulled out three plates of hors d’oeuvres. There was everything from a selection of cheeses and dried fruits to smoked salmon, asparagus and a selection of finger sandwiches. It seemed that no expense had been spared and she was starting to feel very spoiled and not a little emotional at the care and thought that had gone into the planning her special day.

She chose a sandwich and a small bunch of grapes and placing her champagne on the lid of the cooler, munched away happily.

“Thank you.”

Chakotay turned towards her and noticed that her frown had lifted and she was smiling gently. “My pleasure, Kathryn. Always, my pleasure.”

She reached over and much to his surprise, popped a grape into his mouth. He recovered quickly and after chewing and swallowing looked at her in all seriousness. “I prefer mine peeled, if you don’t mind.”

Kathryn stared at him for a split second and then laughed out loud. “You’re on your own then. I peel for no man.”

Chakotay’s eyes flashed something that made Kathryn’s insides jolt. The look was gone in an instant and he gave her a familiar and much loved dimpled smile, but something had ignited between them and for the first time in seven years, Kathryn wasn’t about to douse the flames.

She threw back the last mouthful of her champagne and held out her glass for more. Chakotay refilled it, and his, and they both sat in companionable silence, letting the sun warm them, the sea soothe them and the togetherness weave its spell around them.

Kathryn thought back over the years to all those wonderful moments they’d shared. Even in the awful, terrifying and heartbreaking times, he’d been there for her. He was her rock, her anchor, her mainstay and the person she trusted more than any other. She couldn’t imagine her life without him and that was the decider. Love, respect, lust, trust, desire, need, want and all those other things were there as well, but the overriding basic truth was that her life would not be complete without him. They were two parts of the same whole and it was about time she told him what he meant to her. It seemed fitting that on her birthday she should begin a new phase of her life. In essence a rebirth. A time to leave the old Kathryn behind and start her life anew. With her mind made up she gave herself an internal slap on the back. It was all so simple now. It was just a matter of telling him and that was fairly straight forward. She certainly wasn’t going to tackle any legends or allegories. It was time for the truth.

Kathryn lay back a little and then rolled to her side facing him. “Chakotay?”

His eyes were closed as he rested back on his elbows, his face towards the sky. “Hmmmm.”

“I love you and I’d like to go for a swim. Do you want to join me?”

Chakotay’s eyes snapped open and he turned his head towards her slowly. “I’d love a swim and …” He frowned. “What did you say?” He wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it … although he could hear the words replaying in his head, over and over in her distinctive husky voice. He’d had fantasies like this and he had to make sure.

Kathryn looked at him straight “I said, I love you and did you want to go for a swim?”

“Umm…” He just stared at her. She’d thrown him for a loop. He’d expected it to take all day to even get to the point where they might discuss, in a round about way, their relationship. Trust Kathryn to throw a spanner in the works. All his plans were now down the gurgler…… He blinked. What the hell was he thinking? He focussed on her face. It was still the same beautiful face that he’d loved for all these years. There was a small crease of worry starting to form between her eyebrows and a flicker of concern in her blue eyes.

That was enough to jolt him out of his bizarre mental meanderings. Without another thought he leant forward and touched his lips to hers briefly, smiling at her intake of breath. He pulled away. “I love you too.” He looked towards the water. “So how about that swim?”

Kathryn smiled and nodded. She liked this game of trying to ‘out casual’ each other. Her heart was pounding and she had tingles all down her spine, but outwardly she appeared completely composed. Chakotay was cool and collected, but she knew he must be feeling the same excitement underneath his calm exterior.

She decided to up the ante. Standing up slowly, she hauled her dress over her head and dropped it onto the sand. She reached behind her back and undid her bra and dropped that onto the sand as well. Without looking behind her, she shimmied out of her panties and stepping out of them began walking naked, towards the water.

Chakotay watched mesmerised. He’d never seen anything so sexy in his life. There she was, completely at ease with her nudity. He didn’t want to move and risk breaking the spell so he just sat and watched as she moved away from him as if in slow motion. The breeze caught her hair and the sun glinted off it in splashes of gold. His groin tightened and he swallowed hard. He’d forgotten to breathe and took a great gulp of air, only to have it knocked out of him again as she half turned to him and called huskily. “Are you coming?”

Oh Spirits. Coming? She had no idea. As if she could read his thoughts, her face broke into a beaming smile and she chuckled. “Hurry up, or I’m going to start without you.”

That was it. He was instantly hard. How had they got to this point so quickly? She’d derailed his plans completely but he wasn’t about to complain.

Jumping to his feet he ripped off his clothes. Buttons shot like bullets in all directions. He toed off his shoes and hopping on one leg pulled off one sock then swapping to the other leg, he hopped and pulled off the other. Starting towards her he began unbuckling his trousers. She turned fully towards him, just as he slid them down over his hips.

He stared, slack jawed. She was beautiful. Not perfect, but that wasn’t the point. She was Kathryn. His Kathryn and he loved her.

It was a strange sensation. It was the first time he’d seen her naked, but she was so heart wrenchingly familiar. It was like he knew her in his mind’s eye.

She was watching him, a gentle loving smile on her face. He felt the peace that he’d longed for, settle over him and he returned her loving smile. An invisible cord pulled them towards one another and he took a step forward. However, in his state of wonderment and blissful realisation and joy, he’d forgotten that his pants were down around his ankles and, before he knew what was happening or he could save himself, he was, “Oooph!”, face down in the sand, with the sound of Kathryn’s hearty laughter in the background.

Spitting grit from his mouth he looked up at her laughing face and chuckled. “Well, I’m glad I could provide the comic relief.”

She strode forward and extended her hand. “Here. Up you get.”

He kicked off his pants as he grasped her hand, taking a long languid look at her body as he rose to his feet. Legs, that were longer than they looked in her uniform. A tangle of dark hair at the apex of her thighs, slightly jutting hipbones and a little pillow of a belly, slim waist, breasts that begged to be touched, topped with dusky pink nipples that hardened under his gaze. There was a dusting of freckles over her chest and shoulders, a slender neck that drifted into her strong jaw, broad cheekbones, and those blue, blue eyes that were staring at him, so clear and so filled with love.

His hand whispered up her body.

He touched her curls, and then dragged the back of his fingers over her belly and chest, flicking over her nipples briefly, up her neck, across her cheek and into her hair.

Closing his eyes as she moved closer, she was almost touching, but not quite. His skin prickled. There was an electricity dancing between their naked bodies, he could almost imagine that he could hear the hiss and spit of the current as it arced between them, but then realised that it was his own shuddering breaths.

Kathryn’s breath feathered across his lips and at the same time as she kissed him, their bodies met. His arms wrapped around her and tugged her close, his hands sweeping over the planes and rounded softness of her body. Lips opened and tongues touched, tentatively at first, then with more confidence and greater heat.

Kathryn moaned into his mouth. Well, she thought it was her, but she wasn’t entirely sure. He tasted of grapes, sweet and tangy. His lips were soft but sure on hers and his body was all firm sleekness with the hard jut of his erection pressed into her belly. An excellent specimen of a man, not in his prime, but beautiful nonetheless. His fall in the sand had warmed her heart.

How utterly human and so lovingly fallible. She adored him for it. They’d known each other too long for this moment to have become too serious and intense. Much of their relationship had been based on laughter, it only seemed fitting that this next phase should begin on that same note.

Her skin was on fire, as his hands stroked over her and the next thing she knew, he cupped his hands under her bottom and hoisted her in the air. Happily wrapping her legs around his waist and without removing his lips from hers, he walked the last few metres to the waters edge.

The warm water lapped against them as he waded into the blue. Kathryn gasped gently as the cooler water hit her heated skin, but the sensation only heightened the other feelings of heat, hardness and want.

She began to undulate against him and arched as he slid effortlessly inside her. They were in water up to his chest and it was lapping against her breasts, teasing her nipples.

Neither of them moved, allowing the swell of the sea to lift and lower them in its gentle arms. Ebb and flow, in and out. They were focussed solely on each other and the beauty and simple grandeur of this moment.

He nuzzled her neck. She tasted his tattoo. He nibbled her lips. She kissed his eyes, his nose and bit gently on his full lips. Tongues dipped and tasted. Eyes danced with love and mouths were curved in soft smiles.

Kathryn’s climax took her by surprise. She pulled back a little as the telltale flutters began and stared at him as her lower body clenched, her back arching against him and her fingers biting into his shoulders. A guttural moan was drawn from deep within her and as her head lolled back and her inner muscles took hold, Chakotay thrust deep within her and came in hot bursts, grunting words of love against her breasts.

Held almost weightless in the rocking sea, they both slowly gentled back to reality, holding tight to one another and kissing softly.

Kathryn lay her head on his shoulder and could feel him chuckle quietly. She turned to look at him, raising her eyebrows in question.

He kissed her again. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I thought you’d finally figured that out.”

He laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ve had that figured for a long time. I can be very goal orientated when I want to be. It’s just that I thought it was going to take much longer to convince you that this,” he thrust against her, “was a good idea.”

“So, now you’re saying I’m easy?”

“Hell, no. Seven years of foreplay? You’ve got to be kidding. I’m just ….” He smiled at her and shook his head. “Let’s just say that you never cease to amaze me.”

“And I hope I never stop.”

He pecked her nose. “Me either.”

Sliding her legs down his body until her feet touched the sand, he slipped from her. Her hand drifted down to touch his softening penis and before he knew what she doing, she’d ducked under the water and he gasped as he felt her lips wrap around him.

Her tongue teased around the tip and she sucked him into her mouth. The heat of her mouth was in stark contrast to the water surrounding him and he closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations. It was too soon for him to become erect again, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoy the feeling. She knew what she was doing and this was something else he had to look forward to.

She pulled away from him and burst out of the water, taking a gulping breath. Her hair was slicked back and the water droplets glistened on her face. She grinned at him and he captured her mouth in a deep kiss. After a moment, she ducked from his arms and swam away from him. Slicing through the clear water, with strong precise stokes. He took off after her.

They swam and frolicked for a time before Kathryn could feel the sun beginning to burn.

“I need to put on some sunscreen, or I’m going to fry.”

With their arms around one another they walked from the sea, dried and then collapsed beside each other on their towels. Chakotay rubbed sunscreen into her shoulders as Kathryn delved into her bag to find her bathers. She slid the sleek one piece over her body, and although he was sorry to see her naked body disappear under the skin of black lycra, she certainly did justice to the suit.

He pulled his swim shorts on and Kathryn slathered his back with cream, his darker skin didn’t burn as readily as hers, but it was a good excuse to touch him. Not that she needed an excuse anymore, she smiled to herself, and with that thought she leaned forward and kissed the back of his neck. She was delighted to see him shiver. It thrilled her.

Kathryn grabbed her hat and slid into the shade of the canopy. Chakotay lay down beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder as he pulled her close. They stole gentle kisses as they watched the sea and then dozed quietly for about half an hour. Chakotay turned and kissed her head as they both roused from their sleep. Kathryn reached up and kissed him sweetly, then growled and stretched. The sun was sitting lower in the sky and Kathryn guessed it must be about 1600 local time.

Sitting up, Chakotay handed Kathryn a bottle of water and then checked the time. 1613. It was time to move on to their next destination.

“Kathryn, we need to get dressed.”

She looked at him and grinned. “Why?” And slithering over towards him, ran her hand over his bare chest toying with his nipples and running a finger along the top of his shorts.

He grabbed her wandering hand, then placed it over his burgeoning erection. She gave it a squeeze before he lifted it away from him. “Because we have people to meet and places to go. I told you this was going to be a day of enjoying ourselves.”

“Well, so far you’ve delivered, so I’ll trust you.” She stood up and slipped off her bathers and pulled on her underwear. “Where are we going? Or is it a surprise again?” He handed her the evening dress that she’d brought with her and she slipped it over her head. Standing on her towel she slid her shoes on her feet, and grabbed a brush from her bag to tidy her hair. With a smile she stood waiting for him.

He was now dressed, and they packed up their beach gear and slung their hand luggage over their shoulders. Chakotay tapped his combadge and cooler, towels and canopy disappeared. He leant forward and kissed her. “Ready?”

Kathryn nodded. Chakotay tapped his combadge again and the beach faded from view to be replaced by mountains at sunset. Kathryn looked around her. They were on the veranda of a restaurant or club, perched on the side of a mountain, over looking a green valley. There was Balalaika music playing somewhere inside and the chink of glasses and hubbub of people talking quietly.

“Where have you taken me, Chakotay?”

“Welcome to Minsk, Kathryn. Let’s find the others.” Chakotay scanned the crowd and then spotted Tom waving to them from a table a little further along the veranda. He grabbed Kathryn’s hand. “Over there. They made it.”

Tom, B’Elanna, Harry, Seven, Phoebe and the Doctor were seated around a table with a bottle of Vodka immersed in ice in the middle of the table and small shot glasses lined up in front. There were plates of lemon wedges and bowls of pickles, rye bread and what looked like salted herring.

They each stood in turn and greeted their ex Captain and Commander.

“Glad you could make it Captain. The entertainment is about to begin.” Tom pointed through some large doors, towards the stage and the brightly coloured costumes of the band members. There was an array of odd looking instruments from bagpipes to whistles and a stringed instrument that looked something like a dulcimer. The drummer began, then the violins and accordions. The beat was infectious and joyful.

Tom pulled the bottle of vodka from the ice and poured a shot in each glass. The all picked up their glasses, touched them together in the middle of the table and then slugged them down in one shot. They all gasped as the ice cold spirit seemed to evaporate on contact. It was a curious sensation, but rather on the pleasant side. ‘Warm on the inside, cold on the outside.’ as the Russians would say.

The Doctor and Seven looked on. Both had learned their lessons where alcohol was concerned and Tom had named them the designated drivers for the evening. Seven had queried him on exactly what he intended her to drive, but he’d just laughed and said “Us.”

Seven had frowned but decided not to pursue the topic. She had the feeling that she would only become more confused and had ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ as the Doctor would say.

Lemon wedges were grabbed and sucked by several of the revellers and the pickles were passed around as well. The Doctor began espousing about the deleterious effects of straight vodka and the necessity of ingesting the particular foods on display to help to counteract the alcohol. Tom rolled his eyes and B’Elanna snorted and muttered under her breath. “It’s worse than having your mother along.”

After the third shot, Chakotay was feeling brave and asked Kathryn to dance.

He swept her out onto the dance floor and after watching the locals, they tried to copy the intricate moves, but without much success. They laughed a lot and the locals laughed with them.

Tom and B’Elanna joined them and then the Doctor and Seven. Tom and B’E were almost as useless at Kathryn and Chakotay, but the Doctor and Seven put them all to shame as they hopped and skipped around the dance floor. The others skulked back to their seats for another couple of shots of icy Vodka.

Phoebe leaned over and whispered in Kathryn’s ear. “You’ve done it haven’t you?”

Kathryn looked around the table quickly to see if anyone was listening. She grinned at her sister. “Oh, my word, yes. And it was wonderful.”

“Kathryn Janeway, you hussy.”

Kathryn barked out a laugh. “What do you mean? Wasn’t that exactly what you lot were wanting? I just decided that I’d had enough of the waiting and being good. It was my turn. I’d almost let him slip through my fingers once, I wasn’t going to let it happen again. I’d seen first hand what a solitary Admiral Janeway was like and it wasn’t a pretty picture.”

Phoebe hugged her sister quickly. “Thank god. I really thought you were going to hold out on him.” Phoebe looked past Kathryn at Chakotay and shook her head. “You’d have been mad to do so, but you’ve done crazier things. Hell, if I wasn’t already spoken for, I’d have thrown my hat in the ring.”

Kathryn snorted. “Phoebe! I’m going to tell Walter that.”

“Don’t you dare, but I’m so glad you’ve taken the step. I really thought you’d baulk.”

Kathryn turned and looked at her lover and smiled. “Uh – uh. Not anymore. This is it Phoebe. What I’ve been waiting for, for over seven years.” To make her point, Kathryn reached across and took Chakotay’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He turned towards her and smiled. She leant forward and kissed his lips.

Tom yelped. “Oh yeah!” and splashed vodka into their glasses. Calling for another toast, he raised his glass. “To Kathryn and Chakotay. At last.”

The toast was echoed around the table.

Chakotay noticed a slightly quieter song playing and pulled Kathryn to her feet again and they swayed in each other’s arms while their friends and family looked on in delight.

When they arrived back at the table Tom tapped his wrist. “It’s time, Chakotay.”

Kathryn looked at him. “Time for what?”

“Our next destination.”

Tom slammed some credits on the table and tapped his combadge. Before Kathryn could ask where that might be, they were rematerialising in what looked like a bar. This was very different to what they’d just left.

Neon lights flashed and the décor was ultra modern. The soft throb of synthesised music was a fitting backdrop to the flashing fluorescent lighting. It bathed them all in pinks, yellows and blues. A small Asian man rushed forward to greet them and ushered them to a booth near the stage.

There was champagne already waiting for them and they slid into their seats and Tom poured a generous amount into each of their glasses. They touched their glasses together again and turned towards the stage as a rather portly gentleman picked up the microphone and started to sing.

Kathryn stared at Chakotay. “You brought me to a Karaoke bar. What were you thinking? I’m going to have to be a lot drunker than this before you’ll get me up there.”

“Well, then,” Chakotay clinked his glass against hers, “drink up, Kathryn.”

She shook her head and then cringed at the caterwaul that was coming from the stage. She couldn’t even recognise the song that was being massacred. Maybe she wouldn’t be so bad after all. The bar had been set rather low by this gentleman.

‘Mr Caterwaul’ finished and took a bow, his friends gave him a standing ovation – for audacity rather than musical prowess, Kathryn decided then Tom shoved the Doctor to his feet and shooed him onto the stage.

The Doctor stood centre stage and chose a song. The spot light was on him and he peered into the gloom. The music started and the Doctor launched into, what Kathryn thought, was a fair to middling version of an old jazz standard called Autumn Leaves.

He received a warm round of applause from the clientele and a raucous ovation from their table.

Several other people got up and sang before Tom and Harry pushed Chakotay up onto the stage. He was reluctant, but fortunately inebriated enough not to care. He chose his song and looked at Kathryn, swaying slightly. He burst into song. “What’s new pussycat, woah, woah, woah.”

Kathryn burst out laughing and they all clapped and sang along until the last line when he stepped off the stage and kissed her nose.

The whole club erupted into applause and called for an encore. He pulled Kathryn up onto the stage with him and handed he another microphone. He chose another Tom Jones song and they belted their way through. ‘It’s Not Unusual.”

Kathryn’s singing voice was not her strongest asset but she did an adequate job and they fell against each other laughing after the final yodelling finish. Half the bar was in hysterics and they took their bow to thunderous applause.

Tom slapped Chakotay on the back as they arrived back in their seats.

“You two could always go on the road. That was great.”

Kathryn shook her head. “I think you’ve got the auditory version of beer goggles, Tom. That was awful, but a lot of fun.”

Tom and B’Elanna took a turn singing some sort of country and western duet about Islands and it was abysmal, but hysterically so. Harry, Phoebe and Seven had the good sense to decline, but they all spent another hour or so, enjoying the humiliation of some of the other clientele.

Seven tapped Chakotay on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. “I think Gretchen was expecting us back about thirty minutes ago. Did you want me to contact her and tell her that we are not coming?”

Chakotay checked the time. Seven was right. “Thank you, Seven. Tom! We’ve got to go.”

Kathryn looked around her as everyone stood. The small proprietor rushed to their table and Tom pressed some credits into his hand and thanked him. The gentleman bowed several times as they dematerialised and Kathryn found herself in the living room of her mother’s Indiana home.

Gretchen swept into the room. “There you are. I thought we’d lost you. I was just about to have planetary security start looking for you.” They were all swaying slightly and looking rather flushed. B’Elanna giggled.

Gretchen frowned. “You’re a disgrace. The lot of you. You’re pie-eyed.”

Chakotay bent and kissed Gretchen’s cheek. “We just got a little way laid. Tell her Kathryn.”

She stared at him. Surely he didn’t want her to tell her mother what they’d been up to this afternoon. I mean, she had a close relationship with her mother, but there were some things that you just didn’t talk about, not in mixed company anyway.

“Well, if you won’t, I will.” Kathryn was just about to leap at him when he spoke. “We knocked them dead at the Karaoke bar, Gretchen.” He put his arm around Kathryn’s shoulder. “We’re thinking of becoming a double act.”

Gretchen nodded sagely. “Well, I’ve heard better proposals, young man, but I’m going to hold you to that.”

Chakotay blinked, Kathryn gasped and the rest of the room burst out laughing.

He looked down at Kathryn and watched as a blush seeped up her cheeks. Gretchen watched and a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. Sometimes you just had to move things along yourself. She then turned to the others swaying guests. “Come along everyone, dinner’s ready. You all look like you could do with a good solid meal.”

They all shuffled out of the living room, towards the dining room, leaving the new couple to sort out the next hurdle in their rather bumpy and convoluted relationship.

Chakotay, bent close and looked in Kathryn’s eyes. He spoke softly. “Please say yes. I love you and want to marry you more than anything in the world, I have for years, but apart from all that, I don’t think I’m brave enough to go against you mother’s wishes. She scares the hell out of me. Please say yes.”

Kathryn could see everyone hovering by the door, waiting anxiously. She stood tall, swaying ever so slightly. Put her hands on her hips, set her jaw and… she could hear their intakes of breath…nodded.

Chakotay’s face lit up and he grabbed her and swung her around. There were whoops and hollers from those in the other room, and they all hugged one another in relief and joy.

Silence descended though, when Kathryn and Chakotay kissed. There was also the odd shimmer of tears amongst the rather inebriated revellers. They were jolted out of their reveries by a sharp clap from Gretchen. “Dinner’s getting cold. Sit, sit and Kathryn and Chakotay, you’ve got years of that ahead of you. Dinner.”

Chakotay obeyed orders and yanked himself away from Kathryn. She grinned up at her husband to be. “’Fraidy cat.”

“You better believe it. Oh… and thank you.”

Kathryn stood on tip toes and kissed him again. “You’re welcome.”

After dinner, birthday cake and many congratulations and thank yous, Chakotay and Kathryn beamed back to her house. They walked slowly up the path from the transporter station letting the yearning grow, teasing one another with looks and touches until it was almost excruciating. Kathryn sidled up against Chakotay as she keyed open her door and pushed it open. Chakotay hugged her from behind and she could feel him hot and hard against the small of her back. She couldn’t help herself and wiggled back against him. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him forward so she could kiss him. It was awkward, but she didn’t care. She could kiss him any old way now, awkward or not and the thought made her smile.

As the door shut, she swung around and pushed him up against it, unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time, her hands skimming over his bronze skin. One hand drifted down over his front and cupped him through his trousers. As she squeezed softly, he moaned and pulled her hard against him. One hand was on her buttocks pulling her hard against him and his other hand cupped her breast and pinched at her hardening nipple. This time she groaned and thrust against him.

He captured her lips and muttered against them. “Bedroom?”

Kathryn bit at his lower lip, and answered. “Oh yes.”

With their mouths still joined, they staggered and stumbled up the stairs. Tripping and falling as they kissed and fondled.

They finally made it to the landing but by the time they got there Chakotay’s shirt was gone, flung from the first landing. Kathryn’s shoes were gone, wedged on the stairs somewhere and her panties were hanging from the decorative knob on the balustrade. One arm of her dress was pulled low and her breast was peeking out over the top of her bra and Chakotay’s belt and pants were undone and pulled half way down his bottom. Kathryn pulled away from him, panting, and smiled at their dishevelled appearance. Grabbing his hand she pushed open the bedroom door pulled him through and then letting go, hauled her dress over her head and unhooked her bra.

She was naked again and glorious. He went to move forward but she held up her hand. “Uh – uh. Stop!”

He jagged to a halt and frowned. Surely she wasn’t going to stop them now. For spirits sake!

She smiled and pointed downwards. “Pants. Off now, before you break something. The floor is a lot harder than the beach.”

Chakotay’s shoulders sagged in relief and he grinned. Whipping his pants off, he lunged at her and they tumbled onto the bed amongst gales of laughter.

Kathryn and Chakotay snuggled together many hours later. “Happy Birthday, Kathryn.”

She smiled and kissed his chest. “It’s been a memorable one, that’s for sure.”

“Wait until you see what we’ve got planned for next year.”

She groaned. “Thank God, they’re only an annual event. But, I must admit, I’m rather warming to this idea of growing old disgracefully.”

He nodded as he tweaked her nipple. It certainly had its advantages.


End file.
